Hi <<First Name>>,
Would you ever give a gift, wrapped in a newspaper?
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It was over ten years ago. In the sparsely populated cafeteria of my college, my friend and I sat, sipping sugary, milky chai. We spoke and debated at length about random topics. One among them, was on the importance of presenting oneself. The stubborn person that I was, I held on firmly to my belief that I was, who I was. "Appearances shouldn't be used to judge a person. That is shallow." My friend then asked a simple question: "What if I gave you a beautiful gift, but wrapped it in newspaper?" I had no answer.
Ten years on, I am more careful about the way I present myself (and looking back at pictures of myself, thank my friends for being seen with me!)
Last year, I was back at my college, invited to give a talk about design. The college presented me a gift, wrapped in newspaper. In an initiative to promote sustainability, the organising department had made it their policy, to not use gift wrapping paper (which invariably contains plastic). The analogy put in front of me a decade ago, by my friend, hit me.
And I had my answer: as someone who finally received a gift, wrapped in newspaper, the idea of sustainability pleased me, and the gift inside thrilled me (it was a Madhubani painting :) )
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Moreover, I found the act of presenting something wrapped in newspaper, in front of a crowd of students, very courageous. To be honest, I don't think I could bring myself to gift-wrap in newspaper -- perhaps I'd avoid gift-wrapping, and simply put it in a decent-looking paper bag, instead.
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During my vacation last month, when we went last-minute shopping to a local organic farmers' market, I was pleasantly surprised by the carry-on bag offered by the shopkeeper -- made with newspaper, the bag had jute handles, and a piece of cardboard (from a grocery carton) for the base.
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In my last email, I'd mentioned how I want reclaim the past, specifically with regard to upcycling.
These recurrent uses of existing material for utilitarian purposes -- though spaced far apart in time and space -- give me hope; hope, that one day, I won't shy away from gift-wrapping with newspaper.
For as long as I can remember, street vendors selling things everything from salted peanuts to pan-cooked biscuits, would pack their goodies in newspaper pouches.
Isn't it about time, we make newspaper bags and wrappers a style statement?
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